If you're a frequent horoscope reader, or have even the slightest of interest in the field of psychology, chances are you've heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI. For those of you who are not familiar, the MBTI is a personality examination that places a person into one of 16 distinct categories based on their preferences, perceptions and decisions of their personal life. It is heavily based upon the psychological functions scientist Carl Jung proposed, which entail personality qualities such as extraversion, intuition, feeling, thinking and so forth.

In recent years, many have made claims this test draws striking comparisons to horoscopes. Here's why.

The MBTI is fascinating to many because of how extensively it analyzes your type. This test, as well as horoscopes, certainly appear to go in-depth with one's personality. People may think of themselves as a "textbook definition of a Leo" or a "hardcore Aquarius." We all enjoy reading into these kinds of things because they generalize our personalities, in a sense. They like to be vague. They like to pander to as many people as possible.

Of course, the difference with this test and horoscopes is the amount they test you to see where you fall. As fun as horoscopes are to read sometimes, they're dreadfully inaccurate. We tend to go along with it anyway, since they provide examples that apply to a lot of people.

Let's say your horoscope says, "You enjoy spending time with others and establishing strong emotional connections." Well, duh. Doesn't everyone? Also, I'm sure there's a horoscope out there in the world that says those exact words.

Likewise, your personality description for the MBTI employs this sense of vagueness in a strikingly similar manner. You tend to see exactly what you want to see. If you score as an introvert, you'll get something like this:

"You're reserved, soft-spoken, but crave emotional bonding and intellectual activity."

Again, very vague and applies to countless people. I scored as an INFJ, but still spent time looking around at other types and realizing that they described my character just as throughly and effectively. As a society, we acknowledge these flaws, but still proceed to read into them because they give us a sense of identity and belonging.

I suppose any creation in the field of science comes with its flaws and criticisms. Despite these flaws, however, the MBTI still continues to amaze me. It's immensely fun to talk about with people, and it isn't that far off either!